HIV/AIDS is not a mere health issue: its occurrence is influenced by a number of socio-economic elements. Health interventions alone, therefore, cannot lead to its prevention. Its prevention requires a concerted collaborative effort from all organisations in public life through their work and programmes. This integrated, inclusive and multi-sectoral approach transfers the ownership of HIV/AIDS issues – including its direct and indirect causes, impact and response to various stakeholders, including the government, the corporate sector and civil society organisations. The focus of all organisations in mainstreaming is to adapt their core business to respond to the challenges of HIV/AIDS.

Similarly, within the work of the corporate and business sector, HIV/AIDS can pose a serious threat to corporate performance through lowered productivity or disruption of operations and increased cost of employee healthcare.

Benefits of Mainstreaming

In order to check the emergence of such a situation, HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment is mainstreamed in all government schemes and activities, corporate sector and civil society. The latter contributes by awareness building on HIV/AIDS issues, especially among the poor and high risk groups. The collective effort is a vital force in fighting off stigma and discrimination associated with the epidemic. It has been a critical step in facilitating a nationwide sustained HIV/AIDS prevention and control programme, and has led to workplace policies addressing HIV/AIDS. It has proven to be an efficacious cost-effective approach in containing the epidemic in the country. At the National Level NACO, (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) have signed an MoU with 16 Ministries and Departments to mainstream HIV / AIDS programme.

The MoUs signed with following ministries and departments: Ministry of Coal, Department of Defence (Ministry of Defence), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology), Department of Telecommunication (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology), Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Human Resource Development), Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Shipping, Department of Sports (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports), Department of Youth Affairs (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports), Department of Commerce (Ministry of Commerce and Industry), Ministry of Labour and Employement (MOLE) Rural Development, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment) and Department of Internal Security (Ministry of Home Affairs).

At State level TANSACS is taking all the efforts to Roll out MoUs (signed between Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other Ministries and Departments) with respective departments and sectors in the State.

Legal Aid Clinics (LAC) have been established by TANSACS in association with Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA) to address the Legal and Non Legal Issues of People Living with HIV / AIDS and Key Population. The Legal Aid Clinics are located in ART Centers for easy accessibility.